Author:
Louise Ward
Date Of Creation:
5 February 2021
Update Date:
1 July 2024
Content
Herpes is a disease caused by the Herpes Simplex virus, which comes in two variants, HSV-1 and HSV-2. HSV-1 usually presents as a cold sore, also known as a mouth sore, but can sometimes appear on the genitals. HSV-2 is the virus that causes genital herpes, the most common sexually transmitted virus in the United States that causes infections of the skin and mucous membranes, rectum, eyes, and central nervous system. Herpes is a disease that cannot be cured and must live with it for life. Follow these simple steps to find out if you have this virus.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Look for the signs of herpes
Watch out for itchy wounds. The basic way to tell if you have genital herpes is to watch for the wounds that appear on the genital area. They usually appear about 6 days after infection. Wounds caused by HSV-1 virus appear mainly on or in the mouth, while HSV-2 virus causes wounds on the thighs, buttocks, rectum, and perineum. In women, they also appear on the vulva, labia, the vaginal entrance and cervix, in men, appear on the glands of the penis, penis shaft and in the urethra.
- Red spots initially appear in clusters on the infected area, causing pain with a burning and itching sensation within the first few hours after manifesting.
Watch for other physical symptoms. The first time the wounds appear, you will often experience symptoms such as headache, fatigue, fever and swollen lymph nodes in the genital area (these are on and on both sides of the genital area genital). You may also experience other symptoms as your body is fighting the Herpes virus ..- Similar symptoms of the flu are fever, general aches and discomfort.
Pay attention when the wound turns into an ulcer. The itchy wounds will start to change after a few hours to a few days depending on your particular case. From hot and itchy wounds, they turn into oozing blisters, forming long plaques or bands that begin to exudate like pus.- This fluid is pale yellow in color and bleeds.
Notice for signs of improvement. Eventually the sores will begin to crust over. Not long after, the skin around the sores will heal and grow new, itchy or painful skin. The sore usually heals without leaving a scar, with the time it takes to heal depending on the severity of the previous outbreak.- These symptoms are indicative of an initial flare-up, and are always worse than subsequent outbreaks. The first flare-ups usually last 2-6 weeks, while the latter flares on average only last about 1 week.
Part 2 of 3: Medical diagnosis
Find out the viruses. There are two variants of the virus called Herpes Simplex. The HSV-1 virus is the cause of the cold sores, although it can also cause genital herpes. HSV-2 is the main virus that leads to genital herpes. The number of patients infected with HSV-1 is much higher than HSV-2, about 65% of Americans have been infected with HSV-1 and most have it when they were children. Many people get the virus unknowingly, mainly because the disease causes no symptoms other than an outbreak of the wound. That's why in the United States alone there are hundreds of thousands of new cases each year, and about 80% of people infected with HSV-2 show no symptoms.
- Herpes is most contagious through direct contact with the wound or the secretions that contain the virus. However, it can be transmitted through contact with skin that does not appear to be infected. Transmission declines over time from the initial infection, and drops by up to 70% after 10 years.
Ask your doctor for tests to confirm the results. If you think your wound or sore is caused by herpes, you need medical tests to confirm your conclusions. The polymerization chain reaction, also known as the PCR test, is the standard method for detecting the herpes virus. This test copies your DNA from a blood sample (either from a wound or spinal fluid). They then test your DNA to determine if you are infected with the HSV virus, and specifically what strain of the virus is.
- Your doctor may also do a virus culture test. For this test they have to take a sample from the wound with a cotton swab, and then place the sample in a Petri dish. The test takes a long time because the virus has to wait for the virus to develop. Once you've obtained a sample of the proliferating virus, your doctor will examine it to determine which strain of the virus you have. This method is more time consuming and is not as accurate as the PCR test.
Part 3 of 3: Treatment of herpes
Take valacyclovir (Valtrex). There is no definitive treatment for herpes, but there are ways to shorten the duration of outbreaks. As soon as you think an outbreak, you should see your doctor for oral medication. Once an official diagnosis is available, your doctor will prescribe a prescription to begin the treatment process. Valacyclovir is a commonly prescribed drug. If it is the first flare-up, start taking it within 48 hours of your symptoms and taking it for 10 days. The dosage depends on the patient, so you must take it according to the instructions of your doctor.
- In general, the normal dose for the first flare-up is 1000mg twice daily for 10 days. For the following times the dosage is 500mg 2 times a day for 3 days.
- If the disease flares frequently, that is, more than 9 times per year, you can use valacyclovir as inhibitory therapy. This means taking medicine to prevent flare-ups instead of just taking it at the first sign of illness. If you choose this solution, you must take it as prescribed by your doctor, usually 500mg twice daily, and daily.
- Initial symptom is itching and stinging pain in the area where the cold sore will develop over the next few hours to a few days. Start taking the medicine as soon as it is tingling and hot.
Take acyclovir (Zovirax). Although valacyclovir is the newest medication for the treatment of herpes, you can also take older medications that are no longer in common use. The reason is that these drugs have a higher frequency of drinking and cause a lot of trouble for patients. However, their price is much cheaper than valacyclovir. As with other drugs, the dosage depends on each patient, so you must take it as directed by your doctor.
- If your doctor has prescribed this medication for you during your first flare-up, the usual dose is 200mg five times a day, taken awake for 10 days. If you are in the recurrent stage of the disease, you should take 200mg 2-5 times per day, taken while awake for 5 days (or for an entire year).
- Acyclovir is also available in a cream form. The cream acyclovir is not as effective as the oral form, but it can aid in the healing process of the cold sore. Apply the cream when awake every 3 hours for a week.
Ask your doctor about the famciclovir (Famvir) medicine. As with other herpes remedies, it's best to ask your doctor to prescribe this medication within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.The dosage depends on the person, so you must take it as directed by your doctor.
- Usually the dose used to treat one flare-up is 1000mg twice daily, and only for one day. The normal dose to inhibit recurrence is 250mg twice daily for an entire year.
- Generally, you will take one pill 2 times a day and only one day to treat a relapse. To keep the disease from returning, your doctor may ask you to take it 2 times a day for a year.
Use home remedies. There are many self-medicating options for herpes outbreaks. Lysine is an amino acid that has been shown to have therapeutic effects, especially in oral form. You should take 1000mg of lysine 3 times per day. You can also get lysine from your daily diet by eating foods rich in lysine such as fish, chicken, eggs and potatoes.
- Aspirin can also help with herpes, but you should consult your doctor before you start taking it. One of the active ingredients of the drug is taken from willow bark, which helps to inhibit the herpes virus. 325mg 1 time per day.
- Lemon balm can be applied directly to the wound, it can aid in the healing process if applied 4 times per day until the wound shows signs of progress.
- Just like Zovirax cream, you can use zinc cream. Apply zinc oxide cream to the wound every day to increase healing. In addition, aloe vera gel is also applied to the wound to stimulate premature skin birth.
